Method and apparatus for utilizing an object model for managing content regions in an electronic document

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are provided for utilizing a document object model to manage content regions for use in an electronic document. A content region is a predefined area which may be inserted in an electronic document and which serves as a placeholder for receiving and displaying specific types of content such as text, graphics data, calendar data, or tabular data. The document object model enables a user to create, modify, and delete content regions from an electronic document using an application programming interface from within a computer application program.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/955,612 filed Sep. 30, 2004 entitled “Method, System, And Computer-Readable Medium For Managing Specific Types of Content In An Electronic Document,” the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference. This patent application is also related to and filed concurrently with U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/066,083, entitled “Programmability For Binding Data,” which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application and expressly incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern word processors enable a user to readily create and insert various types of content (e.g., text, pictures, etc.) in an electronic document. In addition, modern word processors enable a user to conform individual types of content to a variety of formats. For example, text may be inserted in a document in paragraph form or as word fragments with different individual formatting properties (e.g., bold, italic, underline, font color, font size) or with no formatting at all. The freeform entry of content allowed by modern word processors, however, suffers from several drawbacks.

One drawback associated with content entry with many modern word processors is that it is often difficult for a user to readily insert, identify, and manipulate regions of the document or template which require different types of content (e.g., a specific fragment of text or a picture) in a document without either manually typing the content in or scanning another document, finding and manually selecting the location for the desired content, and then creating or moving the desired content from another location in the document to the desired location. Even if a predefined set of document fragments (i.e., content blobs) are available for insertion into the document, the document cannot express which pieces of content are valid in any specific location, other than by including static informational text which the user must read, understand, and voluntarily adhere to. Since conventional word processors do not label the locations where the different types of content (predefined or not) may be inserted in an electronic document, they do not permit a user to quickly identify the locations of interest for the insertion of specific content.

It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by a method and apparatus for utilizing a document object model to manage content regions for use in an electronic document. A content region is a predefined area which may be inserted in an electronic document and which serves as a placeholder for receiving and displaying specific types of content such as text, graphics data, calendar data, or tabular data. The document object model enables a user to create, modify, and delete content regions from an electronic document using an application programming interface from within a programming environment such as a word processing application program.

According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for utilizing an object model for managing content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document. The method includes providing in the object model a group of objects which include properties, methods, and events, exposing an application programming interface in the object model for accessing the objects, and utilizing the properties, methods, and events in the object model to manage the content regions. The properties in the object model allow a user to set the behaviors of objects corresponding to content regions which may be used in the electronic document. Utilizing the properties a user may set a date format for a content region for displaying a date, set a document part category associated with a content region for displaying document parts, set a first locking behavior for restricting the deletion of a content region, set a second locking behavior for restricting the deletion of the contents of a content region, set a picture format for a content region for displaying pictures, set a title for a content region, and set a content region type. A user may also utilize a property to return a current validation status of a content region.

The methods in the object model allow a user to perform specified actions with respect to content regions which may be used in an electronic document. A user may call one or more methods to add a content region around a specified range in the electronic document, copy a content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document, delete a content region from the electronic document, set placeholder text for a content region, set a custom validation error for a content region, reorder the dropdown list, cut the content region, add a new item to a dropdown list for a predetermined content region, and remove all of the dropdown entries from a dropdown list. In calling the methods the user may select one or more parameters for performing a specified action.

The events in the object model are generated by the application programming interface in response to an action related to a content region. The application programming interface may fire one or more events in response to a user-selection inside of a content region in the electronic document, in response to a user-selection outside of a content region in the electronic document, and in response to the creation and deletion of content regions in the electronic document. A user may configure the events to fire based on one or more selected parameters.

The method further includes validating the properties against one or more predetermined types of content regions. The method further includes validating the called methods against one or more of the properties set for a content region. The method further includes providing enumeration objects, the enumeration objects representing possible values for the properties in the object model.

The invention may be implemented as a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.

These and various other features, as well as advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a computer system architecture diagram illustrating a computer system utilized in and provided by the various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an interactive content pane which includes a content region according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an illustrative routine performed by a word processing application program in the computer system of FIG. 1 for utilizing an object model to manage content regions in an electronic document, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements, various aspects of the present invention will be described. In particular, FIG. 1 and the corresponding discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. While the invention will be described in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with program modules that run on an operating system on a personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may also be implemented in combination with other types of computer systems and program modules.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustrative computer architecture for a computer 2 utilized in the various embodiments of the invention will be described. The computer architecture shown in FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional desktop or laptop computer, including a central processing unit 5 (“CPU”), a system memory 7, including a random access memory 9 (“RAM”) and a read-only memory (“ROM”) 10, and a system bus 12 that couples the memory to the CPU 5. A basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer, such as during startup, is stored in the ROM 10. The computer 2 further includes a mass storage device 14 for storing an operating system 16, application programs, and other program modules, which will be described in greater detail below.

The mass storage device 14 is connected to the CPU 5 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 12. The mass storage device 14 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the computer 2. Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer 2.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer 2.

According to various embodiments of the invention, the computer 2 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network 18, such as the Internet. The computer 2 may connect to the network 18 through a network interface unit 20 connected to the bus 12. It should be appreciated that the network interface unit 20 may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer 2 may also include an input/output controller 22 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in FIG. 1). Similarly, an input/output controller 22 may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device.

As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the mass storage device 14 and RAM 9 of the computer 2, including an operating system 16 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked personal computer, such as the WINDOWS XP operating system from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. The mass storage device 14 and RAM 9 may also store one or more program modules. In particular, the mass storage device 14 and the RAM 9 may store a word processing application program 40. As known to those skilled in the art, the word processing application program 40 is operative to provide functionality for creating and editing electronic documents, such as document 48. According to one embodiment of the invention, the word processing application program 40 comprises the WORD word processing application program from MICROSOFT CORPORATION. It should be appreciated, however, that word processing application programs from other manufacturers may be utilized to embody the various aspects of the present invention. It should further be appreciated that the various aspects of the present invention are not limited to word processing application programs but may also utilize other application programs 38 which are capable of processing various forms of content (e.g. text or pictures), such as spreadsheet application programs.

In conjunction with the editing of a word processing document, the word processing application program 40 provides functionality for allowing a user to insert specific types of content into various locations in the document 42, called “content regions.” For instance, according to embodiments of the invention, a user may utilize an interactive content pane generated by the word processing application program 40 which includes a content region and serves as a placeholder for inserting text such as a paragraph for the “Objective” section of a resume in the document 42. A user may utilize other interactive content panes generated by the word processing application program 40 for inserting text (which may be arbitrarily restricted by the document's author), a date 30, a table 32, or graphics data 34 (i.e., pictures) into content regions. Alternatively, a user may also define customized content as one of a set of “document parts” which may be inserted into the content region of an interactive content pane. As defined herein, document parts are preformatted structural elements or layouts which add structure to documents. Document parts may include cover pages, mathematical equations, indexes and tables (e.g., Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Table of Authorities), page headers and footers, pages and sections (e.g., blank pages and two-column pages), personal contact information (e.g., name and address information), images, tables, and watermarks. Document parts are described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/955,622, entitled “Method, System, And Computer-Readable Medium For Creating, Inserting, And Reusing Document Parts In An Electronic Document,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.

It should be appreciated that the word processing application program 40 may utilize interactive content panes to restrict the specific types of content which may be entered into the document 42. According to various embodiments of the invention, the word processing application program 40 is also operative for generating interactive content panes which serve as bindings between areas of the document 42 and an external data source, such as Extensible Markup Language (“XML”) data 36. According to still other embodiments of the invention, the word processing application program 40 (or other text processing application program) may utilize an XML schema comprising structural elements for defining a content region for displaying content in the document 42.

The word processing application program 40 also includes an application programming interface (“API”) 11 which provides an object model interface for providing all of the functionality of the word processor's user interface, via code. As is known to those skilled in the art, object models are used in software applications to provide a way for code to automate tasks that a user may perform through a user interface of an application, such as the word processing application program 40. The object model allows code to be written which, for example, automates repetitive tasks for the user and reacts to (e.g., validates, etc.) actions by the user. The API 11 provides structures which provide code access to equivalents of all of the paradigms/user interfaces of the word processing application program 40. These structures are organized into four basic categories:

-   -   Objects: Structures which correspond to actionable objects         within an application.     -   Methods: Actions that can be performed on an object (e.g.,         insert, add, or delete).     -   Properties: Things that can be set about an object (e.g., the         name of a content region).     -   Events: Actions in response a user's (or code's) interaction         with an application.

It will be appreciated that any object within an object model can include methods, properties, and/or events which allow code to manipulate that object. According to one embodiment of the invention, the word processing application program 40 comprises the WORD word processing application program from MICROSOFT CORPORATION. It should be appreciated, however, that word processing application programs from other manufacturers may be utilized to embody the various aspects of the present invention. It should further be appreciated that the various aspects of the present invention are not limited to word processing application programs but may also utilize other application programs which are capable of processing text.

The object model which may be utilized with the various embodiments of the invention may include the following objects, methods, properties, and events:

-   -   ContentRegions—This is an object which represents a group of         content regions which may be used in an electronic document.         -   .Add([Type As ContentRegionType], [Range As Range]) As             ContentRegion—This is a method which may be utilized to add             a new content region around a specified range (e.g., text)             in an electronic document. It will be appreciated that this             method may include the Type parameter ContentRegionType             which is a constant that specifies one of the available             types of content regions which may be inserted into the             electronic document. If the Type parameter is not specified,             the method will insert a default content region type (i.e.,             Rich Text) in this parameter. The method may also include a             Range object which specifies the location in the electronic             document where the new content region should be supplied. If             the Range object is not specified, then a current selection             in the electronic document is implied.         -   .Count As Long [read-only]—This is a property which returns             a Long (i.e., an integer) representing the number of content             regions in the ContentRegions object.         -   .Item(Index As Variant) As ContentRegion—This is a property             which returns a ContentRegion object corresponding to a             requested content region. It will be appreciated that this             property includes an Index parameter which is a Variant             representing the desired item from the collection of content             regions in the ContentRegions object. The Variant may be an             Integer representing the index of the desired content region             in the collection or a String representing the title of the             desired content region in the collection. If more than one             content region shares the same name, then this property will             return the first one in the collection with that name.     -   ContentRegion—This is an object representing a single content         region in an electronic document.         -   .Copy As Void—This is a method which copies the entire             content region so that the entire content region can be             inserted in another location in the electronic document.         -   .Cut As Void—This is a method which cuts the entire content             region so that the entire content region can be inserted in             another location in the electronic document.         -   .Delete([DeleteContents As Boolean=False]) As Void—This is a             method which deletes the current content region from an             electronic document, with or with its contents. The method             includes the parameter DeleteContents which is a Boolean             value specifying whether the content region should be             deleted, leaving the surrounding text (Boolean=False) or             whether the content region and its contents should be             deleted (Boolean=True). If this method is called for a             content region which is “locked” (i.e., set to be             undeletable and/or uneditable), the call fails with an error             message (e.g., “This content region is locked and cannot be             deleted”).         -   .DropdownListEntries As ContentRegionListEntries             [read-only]—This is a property which returns a             ContentRegionListEntries object (described below) that             represents the dropdown list entries for the content region             of type ContentRegionDropdownList (described below) or             ContentRegionCombobox (described below). If this property is             called for a content region which not a Dropdown list or a             combo box, the call fails with an error message (e.g., “This             property can only be used with drop down list or combo box             content regions”). It should be understood that a combo box             is a content region may contain multiple content types             (e.g., a dropdown list and rich text).         -   .DataBinding As DataBinding [read-only]—This is a property             which returns a DataBinding object that allows the developer             to get/set the data binding information for this content             region (Data binding objects are discussed in greater detail             in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/066,083,             entitled “Programmability For Binding Data,” which is             assigned to the same assignee as the present application and             expressly incorporated herein, in its entirety, by             reference).         -   .DateDisplayFormat As String—This is a property which             gets/sets a string representing the date format of a content             region for receiving “date” data (e.g., dddd, MMMM dd,             yyyy=Monday, Dec. 6, 2004). This property defaults to the             default date format of the system. If this property is             called using an invalid string, the call fails with an error             message (e.g., “This is not a valid date format”). If this             property is called for a content region which is not a “date             type” content region, then the call also fails with an error             message (e.g., “This property can only be used with date             content regions”).         -   .DateXMLDataFormat as ContentRegionDateXMLDataFormat—This is             a property which gets/sets a date in an XML data format. If             this property is called for a content region which is not a             “date type” content region, then the call also fails with an             error message (e.g., “This property can only be used with             date content regions”).         -   .DocumentPartCategory As String—This property gets/sets the             document part category associated with a current content             region for receiving a document part. If this property is             called for a content region which is not a document part,             the call fails with an error message (e.g., “This property             can only be used with document part content regions.”)         -   .LockContentRegion As Boolean—This is a property which             returns a Boolean value which can be used to turn on/off             locking of the content region (i.e., whether the content             region itself can be deleted via an editing pane in a user             interface).         -   .LockContents As Boolean—This is a property which returns a             Boolean value which can be used to turn on/off ‘content’             locking of the content region (i.e., whether the content             region's contents can be edited via the editing pane in a             user interface).         -   .PictureFormat as ContentRegionPictureFormat—This is a             property which gets/sets the picture format for a picture             content region. If the content region is not of this type,             the property call fails with an error message (e.g., “This             property can only be used with picture content regions”).         -   .PlaceholderText As AutoTextEntry [read-only]—This is a             property which gets the placeholder text for the current             content region.         -   .Range As Range [read-only]—This is a property which returns             a range that represents the contents of the current content             region.         -   .SetPlaceholderText([DocumentPart as AutoTextEntry],[Range             as Range],[Text as String]) As Void—This is a method which             sets the placeholder text for a specific content region.             Parameters for this method include: DocumentPart, which is             an AutoTextEntry object representing a document part which             should be used for the placeholder text; Range, which is an             object representing a range which should be converted into             the placeholder text; and Text, which is a String             representing the desired placeholder text. It will be             appreciated that if multiple parameters are provided the             AutoTextEntry will be used before the Range parameter which             will in turn be used before the Text parameter.         -   .SetValidationError(ErrorText As String,             [ClearedAutomatically As Boolean=True]) As Void—This is a             method which allows a user to set a custom validation error             on a content region. For instance, this method may be used             to set a custom validation error which will appear when the             user enters the data binding to a XML node in an electronic             document. The method includes the following parameters:             ErrorText, which is a String representing the custom error             text that the user wants to have appear in the error user             interface (i.e., a notification region) for the content             region; and ClearedAutomatically, which is a Boolean value             indicating whether the custom error should be automatically             removed (cleared) the next time the contents of the content             region are changed, or if the error should remain until it             is manually removed by the user.         -   .Title As String—This is a property which gets/sets the             title for an individual content region. This call for this             property may generate an error message if the String exceeds             a predetermined length for the title (e.g., “The title for             this content region cannot exceed 32 characters”).         -   .Type as ContentRegionType—This is a property which             gets/sets the ‘type’ of the content region (according to the             valid list of types in the enumeration for the object             model—e.g. dropdown, combo box, picture).         -   .ValidationStatus As XMLValidationStatus [read-only]—This is             a property which returns the current validation status of             the content region (or underlying XML node if it is data             bound).         -   .BeforeStoreUpdate(ContentRegion As ContentRegion, Content             As String)—This is an event which fires whenever a XML node             pushes data to a document object model (DOM). This event             includes a ContentRegion parameter which represents the             content region which is pushing data to a data store and a             Content parameter which is a String that represents the             contents being pushed to the data store.         -   .BeforeContentUpdate(ContentRegion As ContentRegion, Content             As String)—This is an event which fires whenever the XML             node retrieves data from the DOM. This event includes the             ContentRegion and Content parameters discussed above.         -   .OnEnter(ContentRegion As ContentRegion)—This is an event             which fires whenever a user clicks/cursors the selection             inside of the current content region in the electronic             document. This event includes a ContentRegion parameter             representing the content region which was just entered.         -   .OnExit(ContentRegion As ContentRegion, Cancel as             Boolean)—This is an event which fires whenever the user             clicks/cursors the selection outside of the current content             region in the document. This event includes a ContentRegion             parameter representing the content region which was just             entered and a Cancel parameter, which is a Boolean value             indicating whether a user can leave the range or not. (e.g.,             if Boolean=True, the user is prevented from exiting the             range, that is the insertion point is pushed back into the             range).     -   ContentRegionListEntries—This is an object representing a         collection of the dropdown entries for a dropdown or combo box         content region.         -   .Add(Text As String, [Value As String], [Index As Long]) As             ContentRegionListEntry—This is a method which adds a new             item to a dropdown list at the specified index if the             content region parent is a dropdown list or a combo box. If             not, the method call returns an error (e.g., “This method             can only be used with dropdown list or combo box content             regions”). This method includes a Text parameter which is a             String representing the contents of the list entry which             should be displayed in the user interface, a Value parameter             which is a String representing the contents of the list             entry which should be pushed to the corresponding data bound             XML node (if one exists), and an Index parameter which is a             Long representing the desired location of the entry in the             list. It will be appreciated that if an entry already exists             at the specified index, the other entries are moved down in             the list to accommodate the new entry.         -   .Clear As Void—This is a method which removes all of the             dropdown entries from the list.         -   .Count As Long [read-only]—This is a property which returns             a Long representing the total number of entries in the             dropdown list.         -   .Item(Index As Long) As ContentRegionListEntry—This is a             property which returns the specified ContentRegionListEntry             from the collection. The property includes the Index             parameter which is a Long representing the desired item in             the collection.     -   ContentRegionListEntry—This is an object representing a single         entry in a dropdown list content region.         -   .Delete As Void—This is a method which deletes the entry             from the dropdown list. It will be appreciated that if the             entry is supplied by an associated with an XML schema, the             entry may not be deleted.         -   .Text As String—This is a property which gets/sets the text             that is displayed in the dropdown for this entry. It will be             appreciated that if the entry is supplied by an associated             with an XML schema, the entry may not be changed.         -   .Index As Long—This is a property which gets/sets the index             of this entry in the list. If the index that is set is             already occupied, all further entries are pushed down to             accommodate it. If the index is past the end of the list the             entry is placed as the last position in the list).         -   .MoveUp As Void—This is a method which moves the current             entry up one spot in the list.         -   .MoveDown As Void—This is a method which moves the current             entry down one spot in the list.         -   .Value As String—This is a property which gets/sets the text             that is sent to the corresponding data store XML node (if             bound) when this entry is chosen via the user interface. It             will be appreciated that if the entry is supplied by an             associated with an XML schema, the entry may not be changed.

The object model discussed above may also include a group of enumerations for assigning named constants (i.e., values) to the properties defined in the object model.

The enumerations are listed below:

-   -   ContentRegionDateXMLDataFormat—Contains an enumeration of the         date formats which can be used for storing the contents of a         date content region.         -   ContentRegionDateXMLDataFormatDateTime—Represents a date             content region where the date should be transformed to XML             before being pushed to a data store.         -   ContentRegionDateXMLDataFormatSameAsDisplay—Represents a             date content region where the date should pushed to a data             store as displayed (no transformation).     -   ContentRegionPictureFormat—Contains an enumeration of the         picture formats for storing a picture content region.         -   ContentRegionPictureFormatEmbed—Represents a picture content             region where the picture will be stored inline in XML (or             inline in an XML data store if bound).         -   ContentRegionPictureFormatLink—Represents a picture content             region where the picture will be stored as a reference.     -   ContentRegionType—Contains an enumeration of the types of         content regions which can be added to a document.         -   ContentRegionDate—Represents a date content region.         -   ContentRegionDocumentPartGallery—Represents a document part             content region.         -   ContentRegionDropdownList—Represents a dropdown list content             region.         -   ContentRegionComboBox—Represents a combo box content region.         -   ContentRegionPicture—Represents a picture content region.         -   ContentRegionRichText—Represents a rich text content region.         -   ContentRegionText—Represents a plain text content region.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an interactive content pane 48 is shown according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The interactive content pane 48 includes a content region 50 for receiving and displaying specific types of content (e.g., text, graphics data, calendar data, or table data) in the document 42. The content region 50 includes a place for instructional text 62 which provides instructions for inserting specific content whenever the content region is empty. For instance, a content region for inserting an “Objective” paragraph in a resume document may include instructional text such as “Please insert your objective paragraph here.” It will be appreciated that the instructional text may be tailored to the specific content to be received in the content region of an interactive content pane. For instance, a graphics data or picture content region may include instructional text such as “Insert your photo here.” It should be understood that once a user clicks in the content region 50 containing the instructional 62, the instructional text disappears to allow the user to insert the specific content.

As shown in FIG. 2, the interactive content pane 48 also includes a boundary 52, a selection region 54, a label 56, a handle 58, and a notification region 59. The boundary 52 defines limits for the content region 50 for receiving and displaying the specific type of content. In one illustrative embodiment, the boundary 52 may fix the area of the content region 50 to a specific size. For instance, the content region for a single paragraph interactive content pane may be limited to fifteen lines of text. Once this limit is reached, no further text is permitted to be entered into the content region.

The selection region 54 is a user interface for selecting specific types of content from similar content, for display in the content region 50. For instance, a selection region in an interactive content pane for inserting calendar data may include a user interface for selecting a date from a calendar for insertion in a document. The selection region 54 may also display a user with choices from a list of predefined items in a dropdown list, for example. It will be appreciated that in one illustrative embodiment, the user interface in the selection region 54 may automatically be generated when a user clicks in the content region of certain types of interactive content regions. For instance, a user clicking into an interactive content region defined for inserting calendar data may automatically generate a calendar user interface for a user to select a specific date.

The label 56 identifies the specific type of content (e.g., dates) which may be entered into the content region 50. The handle 58 is utilized to “drag” the interactive content region 48 to different areas of a displayed document. The notification region 59 is utilized to communicate messages to a user. It should be understood that the word processing application program 40 includes functionality for validating specific content entered into the content region 50. Thus, the notification region 59 may communicate error messages when content received in the content region does not correspond to the specific type of content for an interactive content pane or when the specific type of content received in the content region exceeds a predefined content restriction (e.g., the number of lines or characters in a paragraph).

Referring now to FIG. 3, an illustrative routine 300 will be described illustrating a process performed by the word processing application program 10 for utilizing an object model to manage content regions in an electronic document. It should be appreciated that although the embodiments of the invention described herein are presented in the context of the word processing application program 10, the invention may be utilized in other types of application programs that support text processing.

When reading the discussion of the routines presented herein, it should be appreciated that the logical operations of various embodiments of the present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system implementing the invention. Accordingly, the logical operations illustrated in FIG. 3, and making up the embodiments of the present invention described herein are referred to variously as operations, structural devices, acts or modules. It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims set forth herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the routine 300 begins at operation 310, wherein the word processing application program 10 exposes the API 11 which allows a user to manage objects corresponding to content regions by calling the properties and methods in the object model discussed above. The routine 300 continues from operation 310 at operation 320 where the API 11 receives calls for call properties for setting user-specified behaviors for content regions. In particular, a user may utilize properties to set a string representing a date format for a content region for displaying a date, set a document part category associated with a content region for displaying document parts, set a locking behavior for restricting the deletion of a content region, set a locking behavior for restricting the deletion of the contents of a content region, set a picture format for a content region for displaying pictures, set a title for a content region, set a content region type (e.g., data, combo box, picture, text, etc.), and return a current validation status of a content region.

The routine 300 continues from operation 320 at operation 330 where the API 11 receives calls for methods to perform user-specified actions on content regions. In particular, a user may call methods to add a content region around a specified range in the electronic document, copy a content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document, set placeholder text for a content region, set a custom validation error for a content region, add a new item to a dropdown list for a predetermined content region (i.e., a dropdown list or combo box content region), remove all of the dropdown entries from a dropdown list in a content region, reorder the dropdown list, and cut a content region from the electronic document. It will be appreciated that in calling the methods to perform user-specified actions, a user may set one or more parameters for each method (if provided in the object model).

The routine 300 continues from operation 330 at operation 340 where the API 11 fire events in response to user-initiated actions in content regions. In particular, an event may be fired in response to a user-selection inside of a content region in the electronic document, in response to a user-selection outside of a content region in the electronic document, in response to the insertion of a content region in the electronic document, or in response to the deletion of a content region in the electronic document. It will be appreciated that a user may set one or more parameters for each event (if provided in the object model). For instance, a user may set the OnExit event to “True” to prevent a user from exiting a range within a content region. Thus, when a user attempts to move an insertion point outside of the content region the event will fire and the insertion point is pushed back into the content region.

The routine 300 continues from operation 340 at operation 350 where the API 11 validates any properties against a content region type. For instance, if a user attempts to set a property to assign a picture format for a non-picture content region, the property call will fail and the API 11 will generate an error message (e.g., “This property can only be used with picture content regions”). The routine 300 continues from operation 350 at operation 360 where the API 11 validates any validate methods against properties set for content regions. For instance, if a user attempts to call a method for adding a dropdown list item to a content region which is not a dropdown list or a combo box, the method call will fail and the API 11 will generate an error message (e.g., “This method can only be used with dropdown list or combo box content regions”). The routine 300 then ends.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the various embodiments of the invention include a method and apparatus for utilizing a document object model in an application program to manage content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. 

1. A method for utilizing an object model in an application program for managing a plurality of content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document, the method comprising: providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions; exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises providing an interactive content pane for managing content regions, each content region being operative to provide an interactive region corresponding to a specific type of content for entering the specific type of content into each content region; providing a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events; receiving a selection of a first entry in the dropdown list, the first entry being associated with adding at least one content region, wherein adding the at least one content region comprises adding the at least one content region based on at least one parameter and at least one object for specifying the at least one content region, the at least one parameter corresponding to the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region and the at least one object corresponding to a location for adding the at least one content region; adding the at least one content region; receiving a selection of a second entry in the dropdown list; and utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the second entry to manage the at least one content region.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of properties comprises: utilizing a first property to set a string representing a date format for the at least one content region for displaying a date; utilizing a second property to set a document part category associated with the at least one content region for displaying document parts; utilizing a third property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of the at least one content region; utilizing a fourth property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of a contents of the at least one content region; utilizing a fifth property to set a picture format for the at least one content region for displaying pictures; utilizing a sixth property to set a title for the at least one content region; and utilizing a seventh property to set the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising validating the plurality of properties against at least the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the utilizing the properties further comprises utilizing an eighth property to return a current validation status of the at least one content region.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of methods comprises: calling a first method to add an additional content region around a specified range in the electronic document; calling a second method to copy the at least one content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document; calling a third method to delete the at least one content region from the electronic document; calling a fourth method to set placeholder text for the at least one content region; calling a fifth method to set a custom validation error for the at least one content region; calling a sixth method to add a new item to the dropdown list for the at least one content region; calling a seventh method for removing all dropdown entries from the dropdown list; calling an eighth method to reorder the dropdown list; and calling a ninth method to cut the at least one content region from the electronic document.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising validating the plurality of methods against at least one of the plurality of properties set for the at least one content region.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of events comprises: firing a first event in response to a user-selection inside of the at least one content region in the electronic document; firing a second event in response to a user-selection outside of the at least one content region in the electronic document; firing a third event in response to a insertion of the at least one content region in the electronic document; and firing a fourth event in response to a deletion of the at least one content region in the electronic document.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of enumeration objects, the enumeration objects representing possible values for the plurality of properties in the object model.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the plurality of methods further comprises setting at least one parameter.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the plurality of events comprises setting at least one parameter.
 11. A computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions which, when executed performs a method for utilizing an object model in a word processing application program for managing a plurality content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising: providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions; exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises exposing an interactive content pane comprising: at least one content region and a selection region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane; receiving a selection of the selection region for the at least one content region; providing, in response to the selection of the selection region for the at least one content region, a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list of the plurality of objects comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events; receiving a selection of a first entry in the dropdown list, the first entry being associated with adding at least one content region, wherein adding the at least one content region comprises adding the at least one content region based on at least one parameter and at least one object for specifying the at least one content region, the at least one parameter corresponding to a specific type of content associated with the at least one content region and the at least one object corresponding to a location for adding the at least one content region; adding the at least one content region in accordance with the at least one parameter and the at least one object; receiving a selection of second entry in the drop down list; and utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the second entry to manage the selected at least one content region.
 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of properties comprises: utilizing a first property to set a string representing a date format for the selected at least one content region for displaying a date; utilizing a second property to set a document part category associated with the selected at least one content region for displaying document parts; utilizing a third property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of the selected at least one content region; utilizing a fourth property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of a contents of the selected at least one content region; utilizing a fifth property to set a picture format for the selected at least one content region for displaying pictures; utilizing a sixth property to set a title for the selected at least one content region; and utilizing a seventh property to set the specific type of content associated with the selected at least one content region.
 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising validating the plurality of properties against at least the specific type of content associated with the selected at least one content region.
 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the utilizing the properties further comprises utilizing an eighth property to return a current validation status of the selected at least one content region.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of one the second entry, the plurality of methods comprises: calling a first method to add an additional content region around a specified range in the electronic document; calling a second method to copy the selected at least one content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document; calling a third method to delete the selected at least one content region from the electronic document; calling a fourth method to set placeholder text for the selected at least one content region; calling a fifth method to set a custom validation error for the selected at least one content region; calling a sixth method to add a new item to the dropdown list for the selected at least one content region; calling a seventh method for removing all dropdown entries from the dropdown list; calling an eighth method to reorder the dropdown list; and calling a ninth method to cut the selected at least one content region from the electronic document.
 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising validating the plurality of methods against at least one of the plurality of properties set for the selected at least one content region.
 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection the second entry, the plurality of events comprises: firing a first event in response to a user-selection inside of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document; firing a second event in response to a user-selection outside of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document; firing a third event in response to a insertion of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document; and firing a fourth event in response to a deletion of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising providing a plurality of enumeration objects, the enumeration objects representing possible values for the plurality of properties in the object model.
 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing the plurality of methods comprises setting at least one parameter and utilizing the plurality of events comprises setting the at least one parameter.
 20. A method for managing content regions within an electronic document, the method comprising: providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions; exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises providing an interactive content pane for providing: at least one boundary for at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the at least one boundary limiting the at least one content region to a certain number of textual lines, a selection region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane, a label for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the label being indicative of a specific type of content for the content region, a handle for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the handle being operative to drag the at least one content region to different portions of the electronic document, and a notification region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane; a place for instructional text within the at least one content region whenever the at least one content region is empty, the instruction text comprising instructions for inserting the specific type of content into the at least one content region; receiving a selection of the selection region for the at least one content region; providing, in response to the selection of the selection region for the at least one content region, a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list of the plurality of objects comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events; receiving a selection of an entry in the drop down list; and utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the selected entry to manage the selected at least one content region. 